Watch, Watched, Watching: Coming 2 America is the reward for our sinful life

[Spockydog]

13 hours ago, DMC said:

 It's funny how in these type of movies otherwise good actors give laughable performances - almost like a sports team playing down to its competition.  I honestly wonder if they're directed that way.

For a moment there I thought you were talking about David Lynch movies.

[Isis]

I just finished binge watching The Stranger on Netflix. When the credits started and I saw it was a Harlan Coben adaption of a Harlan Coben novel I was a little hesitant (because I have only ever read one of their books and I didn't really enjoy it) but I got totally sucked in and watched all eight episodes in less than 24 hours. It's a lot of Richard Armitage if you like that sort of thing. The pacing/plotting and the number of storylines/balls in the air works very well. Maybe those novels work better on screen than they do on the page? Would recommend if you like thrillers and want something that you don't need to think about it. 

I couldn't work out where it was meant to be set. When a character is seen on the train going 'into the city' which city is that meant to be? Bath? Gloucester? I realise the town where it is set is fictitious but I can't even grasp which bit of the country it's meant to be set in. I did recognise Bristol station when there was a scene with characters searching a train station. They mention Ryecroft Road at some point so maybe it was meant to be Bristol. Just curious.

[DMC]

7 hours ago, Ran said:

It's the most mature and disciplined film Tarantino has or will ever make, and I appreciate that.

Agreed.  Also agreed it's the clear #2 behind Pulp Fiction.  I try to rewatch it at least once every year or two, think I'm about due.  Best Rashomon homage/imitation ever.

[dbunting]

11 hours ago, Mark Antony said:

I don’t see it. It’s pretty much the definition of popcorn entertainment but fair enough. 

Actually that is probably the issue. I don't mind a big dumb popcorn flick at the movies, but I watched this at home with no popcorn, no thunderous surround sound and huge screen and had lots of distractions at home? I think that is likely why I disliked it so much. 

[Veltigar]

Just finished up season 6 of The Shield. I'll probably finish the show in its entirety by the end of the weekend. I'll probably have more thoughts on it then, but for now I really just wanted to pay homage to this by claiming a thread title for it  

[DireWolfSpirit]

Just watched S1 of Netflix's Giji/Haji.

Kelly MacDonald from Boardwalk Empire is one of several actors that play interesting parts.

It's set in both Tokyo and London.

[Ran]

Watched The Farewell, written and directed by Lulu Wang and starring Awkwafina. Boy, that one hit my feelings hard regarding my own grandmother, who I was very close to. Very well done film, and I now see why Awkwafina was so praised for her performance. Also really liked Diana Lin, so parts Billi's mother.

The movie captures quite vividly the prickly, difficult parts of being part of a multigenerational family, especially one scene that turns on the complicated relationship between people who emigrated away and those who didn't.

[Heartofice]

Watched Castaway as it was on Netflix, can’t remember if Id ever seen it before. It might be the most remarkable movie that is also an advert that I’ve ever seen. Has there ever been a movie that mentions one companies name as much as this? 
 

Outside of that, it’s pretty good in fact, it’s a mainstream blockbuster that isn’t afraid to have no action or speaking for a bit. Not to the level of All is Lost but that wasn’t meant for mainstream audiences. 
 

There was a quite uncomfortable part at the beginning of the movie where Hanks is shouting at Russian workers , an American company going over and beating up on their backwards ways. Couldn’t see that happening these days in a movie

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

I'd really love to know what everyone on set was thinking when they made Waterworld. 

[Ran]

21 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

I'd really love to know what everyone on set was thinking when they made Waterworld. 

The movie was just advertising for one of the greatest live stunt shows to ever be staged.

In all seriousness, had it maintained its initial budget, it would have actually turned a profit at the box office. The problem was that the budget went haywire, and as the stress from that mounted, everyone and their uncle started trying to "punch up" the movie to try and make it better. Joss Whedon spent seven weeks as a script doctor, but indicated that his job ultimately ended up as transcribing whatever ideas Kevin Costner had ("... very nice, fine to work with, but he wasn't a writer" was Whedon's description of his interaction with the actor-producer.)

[Spockydog]

It is with a heavy heart that I approach the end of The Leftovers. With four episodes to go, I can safely say that this is easily somewhere in my top five shows of all time. I just hope Lindelöf can stick the landing.

Also, Kevin Garvey and Nora Durst. Quite possibly the sexiest couple in television history.

 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, Ran said:

The movie was just advertising for one of the greatest live stunt shows to ever be staged.

In all seriousness, had it maintained its initial budget, it would have actually turned a profit at the box office. The problem was that the budget went haywire, and as the stress from that mounted, everyone and their uncle started trying to "punch up" the movie to try and make it better. Joss Whedon spent seven weeks as a script doctor, but indicated that his job ultimately ended up as transcribing whatever ideas Kevin Costner had ("... very nice, fine to work with, but he wasn't a writer" was Whedon's description of his interaction with the actor-producer.)

I actually got to see the live show as a kid. It was amazing. Same place also did a live show of the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark, though I believe it was during a different year (before my parents got divorced when I was 9 or 10 we’d spend my winter break in FL doing a Disney cruise and park package then spend a week or so in the Keys).

The movie itself isn’t that bad if you enjoy the campiness, but man there’s a lot of weird stuff in that film.

[WarGalley]

6 hours ago, Veltigar said:

Just finished up season 6 of The Shield. I'll probably finish the show in its entirety by the end of the weekend. I'll probably have more thoughts on it then, but for now I really just wanted to pay homage to this by claiming a thread title for it  

Ooh. Season 7 is awesome.

[Maithanet]

4 hours ago, Heartofice said:

Watched Castaway as it was on Netflix, can’t remember if Id ever seen it before. It might be the most remarkable movie that is also an advert that I’ve ever seen. Has there ever been a movie that mentions one companies name as much as this?

For Wilson Sporting Goods?  A quick internet search indicates they did not pay to be so prominently featured.  Not that it wouldn't help the company, but I sorta doubt it's really on the level of the all time product placements like Reeces Pieces in ET, Barbasol in Jurassic Park or James Bond declaring that Omega were better than Rolex. 

[Ran]

2 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

For Wilson Sporting Goods? 

I assumed he meant FedEx, which didn't pay for placement but instead provided access to facilities, uniforms, staff, etc.

[Heartofice]

1 minute ago, Ran said:

I assumed he meant FedEx, which didn't pay for placement but instead provided access to facilities, uniforms, staff, etc.

Lol yes, I thought that much was kind of obvious, their logo is EVERYWHERE in the movie. 
 

I remember product placement being really obvious in a number of movies, like Minority Report or Casino Royale (nice watch) but it’s so in your face in Castaway it’s almost beautiful.

[Ran]

3 minutes ago, Heartofice said:

Lol yes, I thought that much was kind of obvious, their logo is EVERYWHERE in the movie. 

It was a big win for them. Brand recognition went up, especially in Asia and Europe, it seems. 

The Bond films are always about the watch and the car. Sometimes the sunglasses, IIRC. But mostly the watch and the car. Bond's watches started as Rolexes, did a one-film detour to Breitling (that watch ended up in a flea market, someone bought it for £25, and sold it at auction for over £100,000), some Gruens got into the mix, a somewhat unfortunate stretch of digital Seikos for awhile, Rolex again, and then I think from the Brosnan era on Omega has had the product placement sewn up.

[Heartofice]

Pretty sure there was a point in time where due to product placement and local subsidies you could get movies made for basically free. Didn’t Uwe Boll manage to make some movies in europe which didn’t cost anything and could have made money without a single person watching them.

[Maithanet]

16 minutes ago, Heartofice said:

Lol yes, I thought that much was kind of obvious, their logo is EVERYWHERE in the movie. 
 

I remember product placement being really obvious in a number of movies, like Minority Report or Casino Royale (nice watch) but it’s so in your face in Castaway it’s almost beautiful.

Ok.  I remember he worked for FedEx, but I don't remember noticing the product placement (it's been decades since I saw this movie).  But I do remember Wilson!  Poor Wilson. 

[Veltigar]

1 hour ago, WarGalley said:

Ooh. Season 7 is awesome.

It does push the envelope in the negative direction for realism though. I don't know how they'll wrap it up but my suspension of disbelief can only take a limited amount 

Spoiler

of neither the Mexicans nor the Armenians not seeing that Vic is playing them. Seems like they all drunk bleach to fall for that.